The Pulse of E-Commerce Beats at the Istanbul Global E-Export Summit
The Istanbul Global E-Export Summit (IGEXX) 2024, one of the most prominent gatherings in the world of e-commerce and e-export, was held at the Haliç Congress Center on September 4-5. The summit brought together all stakeholders in the export ecosystem, including SMEs, who had the opportunity to engage in B2B meetings with global marketplace leaders and listen to the inspiring experiences of experts in the field.
Aimed at integrating exporting companies into the e-export ecosystem and expanding e-export volumes, the Istanbul Global E-Export Summit (IGEXX) 2024 was organized on September 4-5 at the Haliç Congress Center, in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Türkiye Exporters Assembly, and the E-Commerce Operators Association (ETİD).
At the summit, which was attended by senior executives from Türkiye's leading retail brands, global companies, and solution providers in the retail sector, Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat, TİM Chairman Mustafa Gültepe, and ETİD Chairman Hakan Çevikoğlu addressed the participants.
“Targeting $8 billion in e-exports”
Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat highlighted that e-exports, which stood at approximately $2.17 billion in 2022, exceeded $5 billion in 2023 with a 131% increase, stating, “We aim to reach a total of $8 billion in e-exports by the end of 2024. This will push the share of e-exports within total goods exports to over 3%. Our goal is to increase the share of e-exports in total exports to 10% by 2028.”
Emphasizing the importance for all companies to closely follow the transformation in trade given its advantages, Bolat continued:
“As the Ministry of Trade, we are ready to lead our companies in preparing for this transformation. With the decision on e-export support under Law No. 5986, we have implemented significant supports for companies in promoting and handling orders on foreign marketplaces. Since 2023, when support applications began, 181 companies, five retail e-commerce sites, and two marketplaces have been included under this support program. We are also establishing the E-Kolay Export Platform.”
“We are on a rapid growth trend in e-exports”
TİM Chairman Mustafa Gültepe stated that they would closely examine the digitalization aspect of e-exports during the summit, discussing the current status and future goals of e-exports in detail.
Recalling that the share of e-exports in total exports was 0.84% in 2022, Gültepe noted, “This figure rose to about 2% with $5.4 billion in 2023. In the first half of 2024, we achieved $3.4 billion in e-exports, with its share in total exports reaching 3.4%. As we can see, we are on a rapid upward trend in e-exports. Our goal is to increase this ratio to 10% by 2028”
Gültepe also highlighted another significant aspect of the summit—purchasing delegations—stating, “Today, we will bring together more than 200 exporting companies with over 40 firms from 22 countries. I am confident that new business partnerships will be established through the meetings held here. The high level of interest and broad participation in this event is a testament to our country's strategic role in digital trade.”
Over 300 B2B Meetings at the Istanbul Global E-Export Summit
As part of the Istanbul Global E-Export Summit, the “E-Export Consortia B2B Event” was organized by the Türkiye Exporters Assembly. The event, held at the TİM Foreign Trade Complex, brought together representatives from 16 consortia and more than 50 exporting companies. During the B2B event, over 300 business meetings were conducted.